Kyle Bartley: This Leeds player will have massive impact during promotion run-in
By Alex Stevens
Kyle Bartley has predicted that Modou Barrow will make a “massive impact” in the second half of the season.
The winger, 24, joined Leeds on deadline day in a loan deal from parent club Swansea that runs for the remainder of the campaign.
Barrow made his debut for the Yorkshire giants on Sunday as they lost 2-1 in the Championship against rivals Huddersfield in a hotly contested derby at the John Smiths Stadium.
The wide forward came on in the 75th minute for Stuart Dallas and showed a few glimpses of the havoc he could wreak after dropping down a division.
Centre-back Bartley played alongside Gambia international Barrow at Swansea and is in no doubt about the impact he can have during Leeds’ promotion run-in.
“Mo Barrow is very direct – he has great pace, is electric and can have a massive impact,” said Bartley, as quoted by the BBC Leeds matchday blog on Sunday (2.58pm).
“It gives us a bit more strength in depth and we have young boys in the team, but we can’t be relying on them every week. It brings a bit of freshness and brings the competition back.
Leeds’ wide options have been principally Hadi Sacko, Kemar Roofe, Souleymane Doukara and Dallas in the opening half of the campaign.
Sacko has been a mainstay of the team on the right flank but has looked tired in recent weeks after making 30 appearances in all competitions in his first season in England.
Leeds’ defeat at Huddersfield means they drop one position in the table to fifth but they are still well placed ahead of the promotion run-in.
Garry Monk’s side have a haul of 54 points and are eight points clear of Norwich in seventh position.
Leeds are next in action on Saturday of next week when they host Cardiff at Elland Road for an afternoon kick-off.
In other Leeds news, fans have reacted hilariously to Gaetano Berardi’s role in the late brawl against Huddersfield.
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